Rooster issues?

[mctkp]

So, my wife and I had 3 Red Orpingtons, 2 hens and a rooster, until 2 weeks ago when we acquired 9 Australorps, all hens, by way of my wife saying "If we don't take them they are going to be turned loose into the woods." So being a sucker/chicken lover I expanded the run and built another coop. I put a divider in the middle of the run so the 2 groups could see and interact with each other but not physically. Everything went well for a week and a half until yesterday when I decided to take the divider down and let them be bestest friends (seemed a good idea in my head). I thought it would be a good idea to remove the rooster from the area and let the ladies have tea time and converse, so I put him in a cage but kept him next to the run so he could still see them. I then tossed down some feed to help with the meeting. The pecking order was established quickly as my "boss" hen laid down the law with some stern head knocking and within 20 minutes they were all clucking and eating together like they had been roommates since college. I let the ladies have their girl time for about 3 hours until I felt comfortable that everything was going to be alright. Then the rooster..... Well I let him in the run and he immediately began scratching and pecking up the leftovers like any good fella will do until one of the new girls happened too close. He launched into the air, wings flapping (and this feat in itself is amazing because of his sheer size) and lands on her back and begins yanking her head feathers out. She went into submissive pose and he wouldn't stop until I ran him off of her. He then went back to scratching and pecking. He preformed the same act to each girl that came near him without hesitation. He is only 2 but he dwarfs them in size. He is nearly 3 times their size and I'm afraid this will continue and one of them will get badly hurt. I have since replaced the divider and all is fine. Should I keep them apart or will this stop?

 

[17 chickens]

This will stop, Just give them time. Put extra food out and water but space them out. Pretty soon the girls will be bossing him around!

 

[lazy gardener]

This is not acceptable. I would remove him from the flock for a week, and then allow him back. In his little pea brain, he sees the new girls as a threat to his harem. He's not bright enough to figure out that more girls = more romance, more babies, more fun. Occasionally, birds will demonstrate prejudice. Occasionally, a hen will reject one of her chicks if it happens to be a different color than the rest. My roo had an issue with barred pullets, in the beginning.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I too would remove him but pen him where everyone can still interact through a fence for a few weeks. He will become familiar with seeing them without being able to hurt him. I have had chickens pecked to death, so always take aggression seriously and take introductions slow. Chickens are territorial creatures, and not all are smart.

 

[LRH97]

I agree completely with lazygardener and oldhenlikesdogs. I find an older hen going after a young, hormone-crazed cockerel absolutely hilarious. But a roo being a sheer over-aggressive butthole to hen royally ticks me off. I can kind of understand this circumstance with the new birds and all, but still. Roos need to be kept in check and disciplined to ensure a sense of respect for you and his girls (i.e. not scalping them when he's trying to mate). Boot his butt out for a while. It'll do him good. And since you don't have other boys, re-intros will probably be quite simple.

 

[aart]

How old are the new birds?

Agrees with the...segregate the male.

 

[WVduckchick]

Was he attacking them, or mating them?

If its just mating, then I believe he will eventually settle down and the girls will put him in his place.

Also, do the smaller girls have safe places to get away from him? Things to run under/around/behind/jump on/etc? That may help, especially until his just-got-released-into-a-free-brothel hormones calm down.

 

[mctkp]

How old are the new birds?

Agrees with the...segregate the male.

The new ladies are a year younger than he is.

Was he attacking them, or mating them?

If its just mating, then I believe he will eventually settle down and the girls will put him in his place.

Also, do the smaller girls have safe places to get away from him? Things to run under/around/behind/jump on/etc? That may help, especially until his just-got-released-into-a-free-brothel hormones calm down.

It started like a mating attempt but ended more like aggression attempt. Yes, the new ladies are able to get away but he wait til they are close and launches onto them so there's no chance they can escape. I'm just worried because of the size difference. I currently have him blocked off from them hoping that more time will resolve the issue.

 

[aart]

The new ladies are a year younger than he is.

He is only 2

So the new birds are 12 months old?

 

[mctkp]

So the new birds are 12 months old?

12-14 months yes